WWE Superstar Mandy Rose recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company. These would include the red-hot storyline involving her and Otis, Becky Lynch now leaving the company and what it is like pitching directly to Vince McMahon.
One of the points raised to Mandy Rose was just how involved Vince McMahon is in terms of storylines in the company. With the likes of the XFL and other ventures potentially taking time away from the WWE Chairman; Vince McMahon is still extremely involved in the minutia of the company’s narrative aspects.
Mandy Rose on McMahon’s Involvement
“He’s very involved” Mandy Rose began. “He’s involved in everything, Vince’s a huge fan of it and he takes a lot of pride in it. He really wants it [WWE] to continue to grow and become the best it can be.”
Mandy Rose would then talk specifically about her ongoing storyline with Otis. It has been reported recently that McMahon has been heavily involved in the SmackDown storyline in particular. The Chairman of WWE apparently sees a lot of potential in Otis especially, and is keen to capitalise on that.
“That makes us feel great” Rose stated, talking about McMahon’s ongoing involvement. “Obviously we take so much pride in it as well. So as a team? We’re all willing to put our opinions in and kind of develop the story the best way we can come up with. Bring the best ideas for our fans to enjoy.”
It’s highly likely that Vince McMahon will continue to be heavily involved in the company’s presentation and storylines going forward. Pre-pandemic, there were constant reports of McMahon demanding re-writes of the RAW and SmackDown scripts just hours/minutes before the shows were due to begin.
Do you think that Vince McMahon will step down any time soon?
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Ronda Rousey hasn’t performed in a WWE ring since the main event of WrestleMania 35. Rousey has been acting, performing on reality shows, and even voicing a character for a Mortal Kombat video game since she’s been gone.
Triple H recently spoke to TMZ about Rousey potentially coming back to WWE. The Game said she is welcome back at any time and also stated that Rousey is one of the greatest performers WWE has ever had.
“Of course, we want her. Of course, we do! One of the greatest performers for us ever,” Triple H said to TMZ about Ronda.
Triple H would continue to speculate about what Rousey’s plans could be and also to comment on Rousey calling pro-wrestling “fake” on Steve-O’s podcast.
“I think Ronda’s in a place in her personal life where she’s figuring some things out,” Triple H continued. “But, the thing with Ronda is you never know what she is saying. Is she attacking the business really or is she attacking the business because she knows that’s what will light up the fans that love the business?”
Rousey made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble in 2018. She would team up with Kurt Angle and face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania that year. Rousey would then win the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2018. Rousey would hold the title all the way until WrestleMania 36 when she dropped it to Becky Lynch.
“We still have a great relationship on everything [with Ronda] and when she is ready, absolutely [we’ll have her back].”
Triple H’s comments about Rousey can be heard in the player below:
Enzo Amore was with WWE from 2012 until 2018. He made his main roster debut in 2016 along with his tag partner, Big Cass. During that time, Arn Anderson was working backstage in WWE. Recently on the Arn Show, Double-A gave his thoughts on Enzo.
“Enzo was a guy that put a long time in down at NXT with his partner, Big Cass, and they had a pretty schtick going down there,” Anderson began. “Once they came up to the main roster, though, you go into a whole different learning phase, or you’re supposed to. If you’re going to be hanging around, you’re going to go through a whole new ‘let’s start over, here’s the way we do things on RAW, here’s the way we do things on Smackdown.'”
Big Cass and Enzo Amore arrived on the main roster with a great deal of fan fare. WWE fans knew who they were and knew to chant along with their catch phrases. Unfortunately, according to Arn Anderson, Enzo in particular might have had some issues with maturity that hindered their success.
“You can’t be too hardheaded about that because there are people trying to help you. If you don’t listen to those people and you fail, it’s on you. If you do listen to those people and do everything you can possibly do to pull off what they are telling you to pull off, then you got a shot at it. I just think Enzo might have been a little too headstrong about how he felt things should go.”
Arn Anderson’s comments about Enzo can be heard in the player below:
During his time away from pro wrestling, Enzo Amore has crossed over to the world of hip-hop music. He performs under the name real1. You can listen to his latest song, COVID19 ANTHEM, below:
Jeff Jarrett and Impact Wrestling are going back to court. A Tennessee judge has set a date for the trial to begin after court-ordered mediation failed to result in a settlement between the two parties.
Jarrett filed suit against Anthem media claiming the company used the GFW Amped shows without proper permission. The recording of the Amped shows was then deleted by Anthem Media. The conflict between the two sides began following Jarrett’s departure from the company in 2017.
Jarrett re-joined Impact in early 2017 and a merger of sorts began between the promotion and Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling project. On September 5th of that year, Jarrett was announced as taking an indefinite leave of absence from the company. He would not return to the promotion.
Last month, a judge ordered the two sides into mediation.
“trial date is realistic notwithstanding COVID-19, and the parties shall anticipate going forward on that date,” the court ruled regarding the upcoming trial date.
Jarrett has been working as a full-time member of the WWE creative team since March of 2019. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. Jarrett was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015.
Stardom has issued further statement on the recent passing of 22-year-old Hana Kimura.
“We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for your concern and sorrow due to the sudden passing of Stardom’s Hana Kimura on May 23.
According to the police report, there is no case of foul play.
Regarding more details on the cause of death, we will refrain from publishing anything according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We do not plan to announce the details here in any press conferences or news releases. We kindly ask for your continued support.
In addition, please refrain from trying to interview the family and athletes belonging to Stardom in consideration of the current situation.
Moreover, please refrain from visiting the bereaving family, athlete’s homes, offices, the dojo, etc.
Regarding the funeral of Hana Kimura, we will not be announcing the date and time nor the place according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We would appreciate the consideration of the media and fans.
The bereaving family expresses their deep gratitude to the fans who supported Hana Kimura, and although the date and time of the event is currently undecided due to the Coronavirus situation, a memorial service for Hana Kimura will be held.
We are taking everything into consideration, and deciding on plans for videos and photos that can be shared with her fans.
Details will be announced as soon as they are decided.
We are very sorrowful on Hana’s passing, and only wish for her to rest in eternal peace.
Japan’s Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier today that the country’s laws against cyber bullying will be “revised to annul the right to privacy for deemed perpetrators of online slander and harassment.”
The proposed revisions will make it easier for victims of online abuse to find out who is behind their harassment. Current laws allow them to do so only after a long and expensive legal process.
“Online slander only serves to induce even more similar messages, and this is a serious violation of human rights,” Justice Minister Masako Mori said.
More information about the proposed changes to Japan’s cyberbullying laws can be found here.
A retirement ceremony for Rey Mysterio will be held next week on WWE RAW.
The 45-year-old veteran has been an active pro wrestler since debuting in 1989. He joined WWE in 2002 and is considered by many to be one of the greatest luchadores of all time.
Matt Riddle’s main roster debut is imminent and latest reports have now shed some light on which brand the former UFC star will be joining.
Wrestling Observer first reported the news that WWE is looking to call up the NXT star soon and his main roster debut is “scheduled to be imminent.”
Now PWinsider has provided some update on the former MMA star. Matt Riddle is soon headed to the SmackDown brand. WWE has planned this call up since before WrestleMania, but the call-up was delayed coming out of the big event. The talks of finally bringing him to the main roster heated up once again several weeks ago.
Matt Riddle was released from UFC in 2013 after testing positive for marijuana and he started his professional wrestling career in 2014. He was signed by WWE in August 2018 and he made his NXT debut in October that year.
The former MMA fighter has been featured regularly on NXT programming since then and he has made a lot of headlines with his controversial remarks about part-time talents like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg.
There is no word yet on when exactly will Riddle make his main roster debut but it’s believed that his upcoming Cage Fight with Timothy Thatcher on this week’s NXT could be his last match for the Black and Yellow brand.
The Crown Jewel travel woes made a lot of headlines last year and recently released WWE star Heath Slater was one of the stars who was stuck in the country after the show while rumors about their situation ran rampant.
The former champion recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about a number of things and also discussed their controversial trip to Saudi Arabia.
Slater said that it’s one of those things where you know something’s up but you don’t know what it is. He then added that he still doesn’t know the truth about the situation:
“It’s one of those things where you are there and you know something’s up but you don’t know what’s up, but we all got out okay. I still don’t know the truth. I heard there were mechanical reasons and it was this and it was that.
When I was on the plane, I fell asleep for five hours and when I woke up,” recalled Heath Slater “I looked over at Hawkins. I’m like, ‘Where are we at’ and he says we haven’t even left yet. ‘That’s when I was like, ‘What the heck?’
The former Nexus member recalled how they got off the plane after this and went over to the hotel. They got back on the plane after some wait and it finally left the country.
WWE held the Crown Jewel PPV in Saudi Arabia on October 2019. After the show, it was reported that a charter flight carrying most of the WWE roster including Slater and many other stars had been delayed.
This delay caused many rumors including one claiming that there was animosity between WWE and Saudi Arabia because the Kingdom had failed to pay the promotion for their previous shows but this was never proven.
The latest Undertaker: The Last Ride documentary has divided the opinion of fans. Many have been wondering if it’s the right thing for the Dead Man to break his character so publically now after keeping the kayfabe alive for decades and former Universal Champion Seth Rollins has some interesting comments on it.
Seth recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast of Corey Graves to talk about a number of different things. During the interview, he also discussed the latest documentary series on the Dead Man and Rollins interestingly claimed that it was the right time for Taker to produce the series because his character doesn’t work today.
“The smart thing about this with Taker is, he did it at the right time in his career… 12-year-old you, if you had seen The Last Ride, it would have ruined everything. But we didn’t have that. His character doesn’t work today. There are some weird exceptions, Bray Wyatt comes to mind from an ultra-character perspective who sort of slides by a little bit or gets a pass.”
“The Undertaker character is so supernatural, so now that he’s at this point in his life where he is comfortable transitioning out of the character and into Mark Calaway,” said Seth Rollins ” It makes it okay for me to watch it and see him being a human being.”
The Monday Night Messiah also responded to the controversial comments from Jim Cornette about the pregnancy of Becky Lynch during the same episode. Rollins said that Cornette’s comments caught him off guard and they hurt his feelings on a personal level.
This week’s episode of RAW aired from the WWE Performance Center. Andrade defended his United States Championship against Apollo Crews tonight. Charlotte, Nia Jax, and Natalya will face off in a Triple Threat match. The winner will get a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship at Backlash.
RAW Results (5/25)
Apollo Crews def. Andrade to win the United States Championship
Angel Garza def. Kevin Owens
Murphy & Austin Theory def. Aleister Black & Humberto Carrillo
Nia Jax def. Charlotte & Natalya to earn a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship at Backlash
Street Profits def. MVP & Lashley via DQ
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s RAW:
Nia Jax Earned A Title Shot At Backlash
Nia Jax
An episode of the Kevin Owens Show kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. WWE finally had trainees in the audience for some ambience. RAW Women’s Champion Asuka was the guest on the Kevin Owens Show.
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair quickly interrupted and made her way to the ring. Charlotte claimed that the RAW Women’s Championship should have been handed to her and pointed out that Asuka has never defeated her. Natalya joined the party and Kevin Owens hilariously got all of his set props out of the ring before she got there. Owens told Natalya that there is nothing to throw this week and Natalya apologized for her tantrum last week.
Charlotte told Natalya that she was irrelevant before Nia Jax marched down to the ring. The NXT wrestlers in the crowd booed Nia as Jax vowed to win the Triple Threat match tonight. Owens scampered out of the ring as Jax said she was going to bulldoze over Asuka at Backlash. A brawl then broke out and Nia quickly retreated to the outside.
Match Recap: Asuka joined commentary for the Triple Threat match during the third hour of RAW. Natalya and Charlotte teamed up and launched Nia Jax into the ring post. The action spilled out of the ring and Jax cleared off the announce table. Jax and Charlotte then traded shots on the ring apron. Charlotte unloaded with a flurry of chops and went for a big boot but Nia blocked it. Natalya and Charlotte then teamed up once again and Powerbombed Nia through the announce table as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, both Charlotte and Natalya hit a Clothesline on each other and fell to the canvas. Asuka rolled Nia Jax back into the ring and Natalya locked in an Arm Bar. Jax broke the hold with a massive Powerbomb and Charlotte tried to steal the cover but Natalya kicked out at two. Charlotte connected with a Moonsault off the top rope for a near fall.
Natalya hit Flair with a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count. Jax hit Natalya with a Clothesline and then delivered one to Charlotte. Flair targeted Nia’s knee and locked in a Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight but Natalya broke it up with a Dropkick. Natalya then locked in the Sharpshooter on Charlotte in the middle of the ring but Nia broke it up. Charlotte sent Natalya out of the ring and made her way up to the middle rope. Nia attacked her and went for a Superplex as Natalya connected with a Powerbomb on Jax at the same time.
Natalya tried to pin Charlotte and Nia but they both kicked out at two. Charlotte locked in the Figure Four on Natalya but Nia broke it up with a Leg Drop. Jax then planted Natalya with a Samoan Drop for the pinfall victory. Nia Jax will face Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship at WWE Backlash.
Opinion: Nia Jax was the only superstar in this match that made sense to face Asuka as they have already been developing a storyline over the past couple weeks. Charlotte, Nia Jax, and Natalya delivered a very solid Triple Threat match tonight.
Apollo Crews Captured The United States Championship
Andrade defended his United States Championship against Apollo Crews tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: Crews dominated the action and connected with a Suplex for a near fall. Andrade battled back with an elbow to the face for a two count. Crews shoved Andrade and he accidentally knocked Zelina off the apron and to the floor as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Apollo hit Andrade with a Clothesline and then slammed him into the turnbuckle. Andrade tied up Crews in the ropes and hit a Double Stomp the the chest for a two count. Andrade hit Double Knees again in the corner of the ring for another near fall.
Crews hit an Enziguri and slammed Andrade to the canvas. Apollo hit back to back standing Moonsaults for the pinfall victory. Apollo Crews is the new United States Champion.
After the match, Apollo Crews was interviewed and stated he can finally say that he won his first title in WWE. Crews added that he has never given up and has put in 11 years of hard work to get here.
"I can finally say I've won my first title in @WWE."
Seth Rollins Threatened Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black
Seth Rollins cut a backstage promo with Rey Mysterio’s mask in his hand. Rollins said he cannot imagine how painful it must of been for Rey and his family to not be there to support him in his finest hour.
Rollins added that if getting his eye shoved into the steel steps was Rey’s final act, than it was a courageous one because it all them to move into the future. Murphy and Austin Theory showed up behind Seth as Rollins stated that they understand what it is like to be underutilized but their ceiling is limitless under his guidance.
Murphy thanked Seth for his guidance and said he needed a leader. Theory thanked Rollins for finding him when he was abandoned by his friends. Rollins vowed to make examples of Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black later tonight to show what happens when you get in the way of the Monday Night Messiah. Later on RAW, Theory & Murphy battled Black & Carrillo as Rollins was ringside.
Match Recap: Humberto hit a massive Crossbody onto Murphy and Austin before tagging Aleister Black in. Black leveled Theory with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Dropkick. Murphy and Humberto then tagged in and Carrillo connected with an Enziguri. Theory and Black quickly tagged back in and Aleister connected with a couple of shoulder tackles. Austin accidentally booted Murphy in the face and Black capitalized with a springboard Moonsault. Black leveled Austin with a knee to the face and tagged in Humberto. Murphy knocked Black off the top rope and Austin planted Humberto with the ATL.
The A-T-L delivers the VICTORY for @austintheory1 and @WWE_Murphy…
After the match, Theory and Murphy sent Aleister Black into the timekeeper’s area. Rollins told Murphy and Theory to hold Humberto against the steel steps. Rollins told Aleister to put the chair down or Humberto loses an eye. Aleister obliged and Rollins threw Humberto to the floor.
The IIConics came down to the ring and complained about not being given enough opportunities. Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross interrupted and came down to the ring.
Billie Kay told Nikki to shut up and just stand there and be grateful. Nikki Cross said she had to work for everything while people constantly looked passed her. Cross claimed that Alexa Bliss keeps her focused and she likes to think that she has taught Bliss a little something about friendship. Nikki closed the promo by saying she cannot think of anything more iconic than that.
The IIconics then attacked Bliss and Nikki out of nowhere. They sent Bliss flying into the ring post before slamming Nikki Cross to the canvas. Billie Kay and Peyton Rose then posed with the Women’s Tag Team Championships in the middle of the ring.
MVP had WWE Champion Drew McIntyre as a guest on an episode of the VIP Lounge. MVP introduced McIntyre as the soon to be former WWE Champion. McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley at Backlash.
McIntyre quickly knocked over the chairs and demanded that Lashley come out here. MVP told Drew that the Full Nelson won’t happen tonight because Lashley is going to save that for Backlash.
MVP brought up McIntyre’s previous appearance on the VIP Lounge and how Drew declined to accept his guidance. MVP added that he is responsible for Lashley getting a WWE Championship opportunity after 13 years. Drew pointed out that it took him 19 years to get his title shot and he capitalized by beating Brock Lesnar in five minutes.
Drew said he doesn’t need anyone thinking and talking for him. McIntyre added that the only way Lashley will take this title from him is prying it from his cold dead hands. Lashley interrupted and came down the entrance ramp. McIntyre leveled MVP with the Claymore and dared Bobby to get into the ring. Lashley retreated as McIntyre posed with the title.
Throwing it out there, is there a better finisher on Monday Night Raw currently than the Claymore by Drew McIntyre?
— Owen @ WrestleNews365 (@365Wrestle) May 26, 2020
Lashley & McIntyre Brawled To Close The Show
MVP & Lashley challenged the Street Profits to a match and it wound up being the main event. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre said he was hanging around for the match.
Match Recap: Lashley leveled Montez with a shoulder tackled and then beat him down in the corner of the ring. Lashley went for a Suplex but Montez escaped and tagged in Dawkins. Bobby sent Ford flying into the barricade and slammed him into the ring post as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Lashley hit a Powerslam on Ford for a near fall. MVP tagged in and brought Montez out of the ring and launched him into the steel steps. Back in the ring, MVP went for the cover but Ford kicked out at two. MVP went for a big boot but Ford got out of the way and MVP ran into the turnbuckle.
Angelo Dawkins tagged in and hit MVP with a few Clotheslines. Dawkins hit a Splash in the corner and followed it up with a Bulldog. Angelo blasted Lashley off the apron and Montez followed that up with a shoulder tackle. Ford tagged in and hit MVP with a massive Frog Splash. Lashley shoved Ford into the ring post and locked in the Full Nelson on Montez. Lashley wasn’t the legal man and wouldn’t let go so the match ended in a DQ.
McIntyre marched down to the ring and hit Lashley with the Glasgow Kiss. Lashley battled back and the two traded punches outside the ring. The action returned to the ring as referee John Cone asked the Performance Center trainees to break up the fight. Lashley hit McIntyre with a Spear and the brawl continued as several more trainees got in the ring to separate the two superstars as RAW went off the air.
Opinion: This week’s RAW dragged on and there were too many segments that felt lifeless. Lana was shown getting frustrated that MVP is now managing Lashley and it seems obvious that she is going to factor into the WWE title match at Backlash. I’m finding it impossible to get invested in this feud at the moment. It was cool to see Apollo Crews finally win a title but he and Andrade could have had a much better match than what we saw tonight.
Double Or Nothing was AEW’s first PPV with no audience in attendance and the AEW Champion Jon Moxley successfully defended his title against Brodie Lee during the show.
The World Champion spoke to media after the event where he talked about things like how he felt about his match, working extra hard at PPVs and more.
Discussing the backstage reaction to the culmination of the show, Mox said that they all felt like they had just won the Super Bowl after the PPV ended:
“Backstage after the show ended, it feels like we just won the Super Bowl. We put on a hell of a PPV and everyone is jacked up and high-fiving. It feels like we won a game when we were an underdog.”
Moxley also talked about potential future challengers for his title saying that he doesn’t think that the chapter between him and Kenny Omega is closed just yet.
He then mentioned how Hangman Page has the momentum behind him right now and the current champion took the name of Cody Rhodes as a potential opponent as well.
It’s worth mentioning here that Brian Cage made his AEW debut during Double Or Nothing. He went on to win the Casino Ladder match and he now has a future world title opportunity against Jon Moxley.
A new championship match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Monday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center, WWE held a match that would determine who is next in line for a title shot against Asuka.
A Triple Threat Match that saw WWE NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Natalya battle it out took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.
Jax was victorious, earning the right to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title at Backlash.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
In an interesting twist, Drew Gulak is back at work for WWE as he was at Monday’s TV tapings in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Fightful first reported the news.
It was noted in the report that Gulak wrestled in a battle royal that will air on Friday’s episode on FOX. He appeared in the ring with over a dozen other wrestlers.
Per the report, his absence from WWE television for a week wasn’t mentioned over the house microphones at least. That could be addressed on the broadcast.
A possible indication that he’s back under contract is due to WWE moving him from the alumni section to the active roster as part of SmackDown on WWE.com.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether or not Gulak has re-signed with WWE or not.
This comes after earlier this month it was reported that Gulak’s WWE contract expired earlier this month. At the time, it was said that the two sides had been discussing a new deal.
Gulak reportedly had asked for more money, which led to WWE officials deciding to pull the contract offer and allow his deal to expire.
Apollo Crews is the new WWE United States Champion. Crews dethroned Andrade as the champion by beating him in a match on Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
After the match, Crews cut a promo in the ring about after all of the hard work and sacrifice he’s been through, he won his first title in WWE. He brought up how after the “injury” setback, he fought forward and is now the new champion.
Last December, during a house show at MSG, Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship for the first time.
Back in April, WWE did the injury storyline when Crews faced Andrade for the title on an episode of RAW. This was done as a way to set up the replacement star for Crews in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
As a result of the injury, Crews was unable to finish the match and ultimately pulled from the ladder match. AJ Styles ended up replacing him.
A top WWE NXT star is slated to make his main roster debut soon and that’s Matt Riddle.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Daily Update on F4Wonline.com on Monday evening that “Riddle’s main roster debut right now is scheduled to be imminent.”
WWE has already confirmed that Riddle is slated to take on Timothy Thatcher in Cage Match on this Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
Meltzer speculated that this match could either be his blow-off feud to send him out of NXT due to him going to the main roster or lead to it. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on which brand he’ll be on – RAW or SmackDown.
Riddle has confirmed in the past through various interviews that he does have some backstage heat within WWE but downplayed WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon not liking him.
Previously announced for Wednesday’s NXT includes Charlotte Flair & mystery partner vs. Io Shirai & Rhea Ripley, Adam Cole to do a segment that is likely to set up the NXT Takeover: In Your House Title match, and Kushida vs. Drake Maverick vs. Jake Atlas in a three-way for the A block in the Interim Cruiserweight Classic Tournament.
The Undertaker has opened up while giving some interesting details on the battle inside of his mind with retirement from pro wrestling.
The former WWE Champion did so during an interview with The Toronto Sun to promote his documentary series on the WWE Network.
Taker started out by stating that you might try to attempt to do this business, but if it’s not in your heart and soul, you’re not going to be a success. Instead, Taker thinks that you might be a flash in the pan. He said that he’s wrestled for the majority of his adult life and done it at a high level.
“I do realize that Father Time is tapping me on the shoulder. And I don’t want to turn around and face him. I feel like I’ve got a match (left) that is befitting what I feel like that the legacy of The Undertaker deserves.
But the hard part is, if I grade myself, I grade myself on where I was physically in the early 2000s. I don’t grade myself on the curve of it being 2020 and being 55 years old.”
Taker continued by noting that the expectations of what he has for himself with the limitations that he has physically is a delicate balance.
“You’ve got to take a really good look (and ask yourself), OK, is this the match that you’re looking for, is it in the realm of possibility and do I risk long-term damage?… I have young kids still. Do you run the risk of jeopardizing your long-term health?”
Taker admitted that all of this is what’s going on in his head while doing the documentary. He said that this is what he’s looking for and trying to achieve.
Taker added that trying to come to grips with leaving that aspect of the business.
Ring of Honor has announced that Flip Gordon has re-signed with the promotion.
Gordon signed with in the spring of 2017, just 2 years into his pro-career. He won the promotion’s “Breakout Star of the Year” award in 2018, as well as the “Sea of Honor” tournament on the Chris Jericho cruise that year.
Flip Gordon was also featured regularly on ‘Being the Elite’ before the Young Bucks left ROH and NJPW to begin performing with AEW. His close relationship with the rest of The Elite led many to believe he was AEW bound once his ROH contract expired.
Gordon took to Twitter to announce his re-signing with ROH:
ROH was forced to cancel its live events when the global pandemic hit. According to comments made by Marty Scurll on the ROH Strong podcast, the pandemic hit just as he was about to take the promotion in a direction he had crafted himself.
“No one was more heartbroken then myself,” Scurll said about the decision for ROH to cancel its events. “Even though I’ve sort of been hands-on with the show since January, I felt like these were really my first shows that I had full control of.”
“I put so many hours of time and thought into these shows,” he continued.
Scurll also said in the same interview that an AEW-ROH relationship is likely to occur.
“Both parties are definitely willing to work with each other. It’s just a matter of timing, I guess,” he said. “I’m not saying anything will happen, I’m just saying I wouldn’t rule it out. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t. It’s just that the timing needs to be correct and it needs to be a fitting situation for us to work together. I personally would like to see it happen at some point.”
WWE Superstar Mandy Rose recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company. These would include the red-hot storyline involving her and Otis, Becky Lynch now leaving the company and what it is like pitching directly to Vince McMahon.
One of the points raised was the SmackDown Hacker, a character that has been a recurring part of the blue brand over the past few months.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville
The first major plot point that the Hacker revealed was that Sonya Deville had betrayed Mandy Rose, thus leading to their eventual feud and the continuation of the Mandy/Otis storyline. With the Hacker being such an important part of said storyline many believed that it would be someone linked to the aforementioned Superstars…but it isn’t that clear.
The SmackDown Hacker appears to be targeting a number of Superstars on the Friday Night show. Interestingly, Mandy Rose and at least one other SmackDown Superstar have no idea who the person is behind the Hacker gimmick.
“My prediction? To be honest, I have no idea” Mandy Rose revealed on Gorilla Position, confirming that she has no clue who the mystery Hacker is. “But the voice sounds very…actually it’s funny.”
Maryse?
Mandy Rose would then talk about who she feels the actual cadence and tone of the Hacker sounds like. “The Miz was walking by the other day and he thinks the voice sounds like Maryse. I was like ‘wow I didn’t think of that!’ Like ‘oh my god is it Maryse!? I know you’re like joking but, um, it kind of does!’ I’m kind of happy I’m not gonna lie, because it exposed Sonia and Dolph [Ziggler]. But no I have no idea. I do not know who the hacker is.”
We’ve seen this sort of storyline play out in WWE in the few decades, and there’s always a chance that the company themselves are not sure who to use in that Hacker position right now. There has been speculation that CM Punk is behind the gimmick, but he continues to deny any involvement with WWE beyond his role on WWE Backstage.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Image Credit: WWE.com
Who do you think the SmackDown Hacker is? Let us know in the comments
On the May 11th edition of WWE RAW, Becky Lynch announced that she is pregnant. Lynch also relinquished the WWE RAW Women’s Championship to Asuka. Lynch recently took part in an interview with SI.com and revealed some of the reasons she is happy to have passed the title on to Asuka.
“Passing that championship onto Asuka meant a lot,” said Lynch. “She really, really deserves it. And another element that people missed, because it’s not really advertised, is that she’s a working mom.”
“She’s proven that you can do it all,” Lynch continued. “You can be a badass and go off and have a family, you can come in and still kick more ass, have a YouTube show and be entertaining as all hell. The fact that she was the person to take that title from me meant a lot to me.”
Asuka’s first title defense of the RAW Women’s title is set for Backlash on June 14th. She’ll face the winner of a #1 Contenders triple threat match between Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Natalya tonight.
Lynch also stated during the interview that while she will be away from WWE for a while, she’ll never be truly gone from the company.
“The WWE is my family, my actual family,” said Lynch. “I will always stay involved.”
JTG and Shad Gaspard first started teaming together in 2006 on Ohio Valley Wrestling shows. Between 2 runs on the main roster of WWE and wrestling on the independents beginning in 2014, Cryme Tyme never stopped being a team. Following Shad Gaspard’s tragic death, JTG posted a message to his longtime partner and friend.
“I want to say thank you to all the friends, fans and family who reached out to me and Shads family during this difficult time. The outpour of love and support has definitely helped me get through this. I have my moments where I’m in disbelief and feeling a tremendous amount of hurt but as soon as I start to reminisce about Shad and our relationship I begin to smile,” JTG says in the above post.
JTG also posted a link to a GoFundMe account to support Shad’s family.
“Shad, Thank you for always being there for me. You were more than my tag team partner, more than a friend you were the big brother I always wanted growing up. The world will remember you for what you are. A HERO.”
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter offered up some congratulations to Jon Moxley on social media recently. Slaughter was responding to a thread on Twitter when he also made reference to legal troubles between him and WWE.
“Congrats” on ur life after leaving the Flagship @WWE VERY happy for U, especially since I was the 1st to go up against “The Emperor” & fight for MY FREEDOM. Luckily U got to by pass the lawsuits & courtroom appearances. Wishing U continued sucesss,” Slaughter Tweeted.
@JonMoxley “Congrats” on ur life after leaving the Flagship @WWE VERY happy for U, especially since I was the 1st to go up against “The Emperor” & fight for MY FREEDOM??Luckily U got to by pass the lawsuits & courtroom appearances?Wishing U continued sucesss
Slaughter and Vince McMahon had a falling out of sorts in the mid-80s. There are many reported reasons as to why Slaughter left the company in 1984. One that is detailed in the book “Chokehold: Pro Wrestling’s Real Mayhem Outside the Ring” states that Slaughter and WWF ended up in conflict when Slaughter disputed the amount he was being paid for royalties on merchandise.
Slaughter then trademarked the “Sgt. Slaughter” name, left WWF (or by some accounts was fired) and went back to the AWA. He filed suit against McMahon for merchandise royalties and the two parties settled out of court. There are also reports that Slaughter and WWF were at odds over a deal Slaughter would make with G.I Joe.
Slaughter would eventually return to WWF in 1990 and begin the “Iraqi Sympathizer” angle. He would win the title from the Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble before dropping it at WrestleMania VII to Hulk Hogan.
Mike Tyson presented the TNT Championship to inaugural champion Cody Rhodes last night at AEW Double or Nothing. AEW has announced that Tyson will also appear this week – Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Mike Tyson in AEW
Tyson would get involved in the action during last night’s TNT title tournament finals. He prevented Jake “the Snake” Roberts from bringing out his snake or causing any further interference. Now, Tyson is scheduled to be at Dynamite on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Roberts and Archer have anything to say to Tyson on the show.
Fresh off his appearance at AEW’s Double or Nothing Pay Per View, Iron @MikeTyson will make his #AEWDynamite debut LIVE THIS WED, May 27th at 8/7c on TNT!
Tyson has stated he plans to announce when he’ll make his return to boxing this week. The 53-year-old has said his team is in talks with multiple fighters about a comeback bout.
“Listen we’ve got so many guys that want to do this man. We’re in calls, we’re doing business with guys right now. You’re not going to believe the names when the names come out. Sometime this week we’ll have the contract done,” Tyson said on the Young Money Radio Show with Lil Wayne.
Tyson has also said that he doesn’t plan on keeping any money he makes from the fight either. He told L’il Wayne that he’s never felt this good in his life.
“I’m going to take this money and help these homeless and we’re going to help these addicted brothers. Because I’ve been homeless and I’ve been addicted so I know the struggle. Not many people have survived like I did.”
As revealed on Fusion, Alexander Hammerstone has re-signed with MLW. Hammerstone is the promotion’s current and inaugural National Openweight Champion and a member of the Dynasty faction along with Richard Holliday and Gino Medina.
Hammerstone took to social media to explain his decision to re-sign with MLW.
“The news just dropped on the latest episode of Fusion that I re-signed with MLW,” Hammerstone says in the video. “And I got some people asking me what made me make that decision? Why didn’t I go with this company or that company? And what you have to understand is how important pro-wrestling is to me. How important its become to me, how much it means to me to prove that I’m one of the best wrestlers in the world.”
Hammerstone then continued to say that what he wants in wrestling has changed over the years.
“When I first started, I was just trying to look good, have a couple matches, get scouted, have the big company come and offer me a contract. That’s what I thought I wanted but over the years that’s really changed. If you look at the matches in the last year alone with MLW, Marufuji, Go Shiozaki, Laredo Kid, Takashi Sugiura, T-Hawk, Davey Boy Smith Jr, Brian Pillman (Jr.), Rey Horus, like I’m wrestling the best wrestlers in the world. I’m getting to go out there, I’m not being told ‘hey, give us 5 minutes,’ I’m being told ‘hey, give us 25 minutes.'”
From there, Hammerstone began talking about the freedom he is allowed in MLW.
“I’m getting to go out there and give you my best. I’m not being told how to act in promos, I’m not being told how to dress.”
“I don’t want to just make money and retire, I want to create a legacy,” he continued. “I think MLW has given me that platform.”
“I’ve just made MLW my home for the next couple of years so I hope you give it a chance, I hope you check out Fusion,” he continued. “I’m not going to be neutered, I’m not going to be chained-up.”
Check out our recent exclusive interview with Alexander Hammerstone:
Fyter Fest will be returning in 2020 and the event already has a big title match booked for the event. At a post-event media scrum from Double or Nothing last night, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that Brian Cage will challenge AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at the event.
Cage was the surprise entrant in the Casino Ladder Match and won the match by collecting the large gambling chip hanging above the ring.
AEW will announce the date for this year’s Fyter Fest on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Last year’s Fyter Fest was held on June 29th, 2019 from the Ocean Center in Dayton Beach, Florida. The event was held in conjunction with the CEO Fighting Game Championships.
Also revealed following Double or Nothing last night, is that Fyter Fest 2020 was originally supposed to be held in London for AEW’s UK debut. Those plans had to be scrapped due to the ongoing global pandemic, however.
The theme of the show last year was a spoof on the “Fyre Festival.” Multiple documentaries about the ill-fated music festival had been released just prior to the show.
AEW Upcoming Dates
While no date is currently known for this year’s Fyter Fest, AEW did reveal that All Out 2020 will happen on September 5th, 2020.
Main news out of the press conference is they will be having a second Fyter Fest show, Moxley vs. Cage main event, date will be announced Wednesday. Plan was for London, but obviously everything is in Jacksonville for the time being. But that was the original UK debut.
WWE Superstar Mandy Rose recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company. These would include the red-hot storyline involving her and Otis, Becky Lynch now leaving the company and what it is like pitching directly to Vince McMahon.
It was recently revealed that Mandy Rose pitched the idea of the Otis storyline directly to the WWE Chairman. Since the beginning of that feud Otis has gone on to have a featured WrestleMania match and win Money In The Bank; so it’s fair to say that the pitch worked out well.
Pitching to Vince
“You want to make sure that he likes it, hopefully!” Mandy Rose began talking about pitching storylines to the WWE Chairman. “And if he doesn’t? Whatever you know? At least you tried. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Rose would then say how difficult it can be getting the time to speak to McMahon, due to his busy schedule. “He’s [McMahon] a very important man, he’s so busy it’s hard sometimes trying to get a word in with him. Sometimes? If it’s a good time, and it was a good time, I just went with it. I just gave him quick bullet points of what I think it would be, how it would be cool involving Otis and he loved it.”
Mandy Rose and Otis Storyline Resonating
Mandy Rose finished by pinpointing the time that she felt the storyline was going to be a hit with the crowd. “The time where it resonated with me so well? That this would be a great story? Was the time before Thanksgiving when we did like the ham thing and I gave him a kiss backstage on the cheek and we heard the crowd erupt. I was like ‘wow this is going to be something good’ and I think everyone [backstage] felt that.”
With Mandy and Otis seemingly getting big pushes going forward on WWE television we may see both edge closer to the main event scene before the year is finished.
